Special Service and Features
India safeguarded fishermen and marine farmers' interests at WTO: Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal
The rise in seafood consumption brightens MPEDA’S future in Golden Jubilee year, say speakers
Kochi, Aug 24: The Central Government has safeguarded the interests of the country’s poor fishermen and marine farmers even in the last round of WTO discussions, said Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution and Textiles. Adding that marine exports have reached $7.76 billion in the financial year, 2021-2022, which is 30% up from the previous year, Shri Piyush Goyal said this achievement is a milestone in the Aatmanirbhar Bharat journey and also a message to the world that new India offered quality and reliability at competitive prices.
The Union Minister was addressing the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Marine Products Export Development Authority  in Kochi today through a video message.
Noting that India today is the third largest marine exporter in the world, Shri Piyush Goyal said India had 18 thousand farmers who contributed to marine exports worth $20 million or more. “There is a potential to add 2 lakh shrimp farmers in the next few years which will increase the current production from 40,000 tonnes to 7 lakh tonnes that is nearly 18 times today's production,” the Union Minister added.
The Golden Jubilee celebrations were inaugurated virtually by Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Smt. Anupriya Patel. She said that India was working towards realising marine exports worth Rs one lakh crore by 2025. The Government was implementing prompt measures in coordination with all concerned departments to ensure that India’s income from marine exports hit Rs one lakh-crore within three years.“We are making efforts to boost exports through our embassies abroad,” Smt. Anupriya Patel.
Noting that the future was “very bright” for seafood owing to its rising domestic consumption and increasing demand the world over, Smt Anupriya Patel said, its health benefits were immense. “Thus the consumption pattern of the world population is shifting towards seafood,” she added.
Minister Smt Patel also released Lega Sea, a coffee-table book on the occasion of MPEDA completing 50 years.
Shri Hibi Eden, MP, noting that marine products made stupendous contributions towards India’s exports, called for better livelihood care of the country’s fish workers who played a crucial role in the marine sector.
MPEDA Chairman Shri Dodda Venkata Swamy, welcoming the gathering, said the organisation was making coordinated efforts to form a chain that would guarantee sustainability and high quality of seafood.
Overlapping with the country’s 75th Independence Day festivities under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Wednesday’s event was addressed by MPEDA former heads Shri T.K.A Nair , Shri K.B. Pillai and Ms Leena Nair; Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Chairman Shri Paul Antony , MPEDA ex-Chairman Shri A. Jayathilak  and Seafood Exporters Association of India  National President Shri Jagadish Fofandi.
The function also saw the distribution of the MPEDA Export Awards for Outstanding Performance  under seven categories. These went to the best manufacturer-exporters of marine products based on an offline selection mode.
MPEDA, founded in 1972 as a statutory body of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has taken India’s marine exports to 1.4 million tonnes  as against 35,523 tonnes in its year of inception.
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